Bill Grimm a trainer for the J-H Rose High School Football Team has been suspended without pay.

According to Heather Mayo with Pitt County schools Grimm was suspended Tuesday morning.

Grimm was one of the first responders that looked at Rose Football Player Jaquan Waller who later died as a result of head injuries.

Waller passed away on September 20th from second impact syndrome, a rare condition that happens when someone gets 2 head injuries in a short amount of time. Waller had a concussion during practice but was later cleared to play. He then suffered another head injury in Rose's game against Hoggard and died the next day.

The investigation into Waller's death is ongoing. Grimm will continue his job as a teacher's assistant at Rose.

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People were given a chance to pay their respects Friday night during Jaqaun Waller's viewing. Waller died Saturday after taking a hit on the football field last Friday night.

A great teammate, caring friend, and loving family member. That is how J.H. Rose football player, Jaquan Waller, will be remembered. The viewing was held at Salvation and Praise Church in Farmville from 6-8.

Within those couple of hours people came from all over to mourn the loss of a friend and family member.

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J.H. Rose's football team will play their game Friday night against West Carteret, even though a week ago they lost a player.

Junior running back Jaquan Waller was injured during the game against Hoggard and he died the following day.

Rose coach Todd Lipe tells WITN he plans to move forward with his team. In an exclusive interview with Brian Meador, Lipe says his players are still hurting and he wants to help them as much as possible.

This week the team practiced after voting to go ahead with Friday's game. They will honor Waller by wearing his initials and his number 23 on their helmets for the rest of the season.

"I think they need each other, I think they need to play to feel good right now. Like I said Tuesday's practice was a good practice, we were upbeat, had a lot of spirit out there and I think the same thing will happen Friday when we get back on the field, Lipe told WITN.

Rose Player remembered by school

It was standing room only inside Jaquan Waller's memorial service in Greenville Wednesday.

Students and faculty members flooded the J.H. Rose High School auditorium to pay their respects to the fallen football star.

Waller died Saturday after he sustained a head injury during Friday night's game. During the memorial, Waller's team mates and friends reflected on his life.

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Funeral arrangements have now been set for a J.H. Rose High School football player who died after Friday night's game.

Jaquan Waller's viewing will be Friday night, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Salvation and Praise Church on West Marlboro Street in Farmville.

The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Koinonia Christian Church on Greenville Boulevard in Greenville.

Jaquan Waller, a J.H. Rose running back, walked to the sidelines after he was tackled during the second quarter Friday night and collapsed.

He died the next day at the hospital. Earlier in the week in practice, Jaquan had to be helped off the field after being tackled during practice. A licensed injury management specialist that works at the school checked him out and gave him the go ahead to play Friday night.

The school says a formal investigation into Jaquan's death is being conducted.

He was known as 350...Or just Quan. On the football field, Jaquan Waller proudly represented the number 23 as a running back for the J.H. Rose Rampants.

But he was much more than that to his friends. Now, they are mourning his death.

Jaquan was injured during practice Wednesday, but was checked out and given the okay to play Friday against Hoggard.

After a play Friday, he collapsed on the sidelines and died at the hospital Saturday afternoon.

Since then, Pitt County Schools Officials opened the school doors to students so they could come together and grieve.

Administrators says close to 200 students came Saturday, while close to 100 sought counseling Sunday.

Many of them are just coming to grips with the loss of a close friend.

"My momma, she woke me up that morning, like she had to explain to me, my friend had died." said Breonna Gray, " I was just in tears, couldn't get through the rest of my day, but I pulled it together had to be strong for Quan cause we know 350 you wouldn't want us not to cry.
We'll miss you and you'll never be forgotten. I love you."

"Quan, was like my little brother", says Gabrielle Mathews, " been knowing him since 6th grade. He was that goofy type of guy, always joking around and I'm gonna miss him....a lot."

Waller's team mates talked with their coach and voted to still have practice Monday and be ready to play their next game on Friday in memory of Waller.

Fellow students are grieving the loss of JaQuan Waller, a junior running back on the football team.

According to Pitt County Schools, Waller was injured during Friday night's game against Hoggard.

They say after a tackle he got up and ran to the sidelines and just collapsed. He was taken to Pitt Memorial Hospital and remained in critical condition, until his parents made the difficult decision to take him off life support.

"Jaquan was a dedicated player who was well liked by his peers," commented Tom Lipe, head varsity football coach at Rose. "Our thoughts are with the Waller family during this difficult time."

"This is a great loss for our school and community," said Dr. George Frazier, principal at J.H. Rose High School. "Our students and school family share in this loss."

School officials say the first and most immediate attention is to provide support to the family and students.

"Our hearts go out to the Waller family and football team,' commented Dr. Beverly Reep, school system superintendent. "We will continue to provide support to the family and our students as they cope with this loss."

Counselors were available at the school Saturday to talk with students and again Sunday, starting at 1 p.m.

A special fund has been established through the Pitt County Educational Foundation to help with funeral and burial expenses. If you would like to make a contribution, school officials say you can send your donation to the Pitt County Educational Foundation, 1717 West Fifth Street, Greenville, NC 27834. Please make the check payable to the Pitt County Educational Foundation and note on the check memo line "Jaquan Waller and Family."

Heather Mayo with Pitt County Schools says Waller was injured earlier this week during practice, but was checked out and given the okay to play.

J.H. Rose High School coach Todd Lipe said in a release that the junior running back was a dedicated player who was well liked by his teammates.

Now counselors are trying to help students cope with the loss of one of their own.

Pitt County Schools Statement

Pitt County Schools has learned that Jaquan Waller was removed from life support at Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH) this afternoon.

Waller, a junior running back for the J. H. Rose High School Rampants was transported to PCMH last night after he collapsed on the sidelines during the second quarter of the game.

“Jaquan was a dedicated player that was well liked by his peers,” commented Todd Lipe, head varsity football coach at Rose. “Our thoughts are with the Waller family during this difficult time.”

The coaching staff and school counselors will meet with the team later today. Additionally, the school will be open for students to meet with counselors at 3 p.m. Saturday and on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

“This is a great loss for our school and community,” commented Dr. George Frazier, principal at J. H. Rose High School. “Our students and school family share in this loss.”

The loss of a student has a profound effect on the community. Our first and most immediate attention is to provide support to the family and our students. Our offices will continue to keep the media updated as new information becomes available.

“Our hearts go out to the Waller family and football team,” commented Dr. Beverly Reep, school system superintendent. “We will continue to provide support to the family and our students as they cope with this loss.”

A special fund has been established through the Pitt County Educational Foundation to help with funeral and burial expenses. If you would like to make a contribution, please make the check payable to the Pitt County Educational Foundation and send to 1717 West Fifth Street, Greenville NC 27834. Please note on your check memo line “Jaquan Waller and Family.”